BMJ 1995;310:1216-1217 (13 May)

Editorials

Antimony and health

Incriminating stibine in the sudden infant death syndrome is difficult on current evidence

Antimony is a metal in group Vb of the periodic system, just below arsenic, with which it shares several chemical and toxicological properties. Considered to be a non-essential trace element, it occurs naturally in the trivalent and pentavalent states with sulphur, mainly as stibnite ore (Sb2S3).1

Antimony's main applications are industrial--it is used in alloys for hardening lead (for example, in batteries and bullets); in flame retardants for plastics; in semiconductors; and in therapeutics, in which it is applied in organic forms such as sodium stibogluconate in the treatment of leishmaniasis. Antimony potassium tartrate has been used as an emetic and as an intravenously administered anthelmintic.2 Relatively little is known of the toxicity of antimony compared with that of metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, or arsenic. Recently, attention has been drawn to . . . [Full text of this article]


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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Dezateux, C., Delves, H T., Stocks, J., Wade, A., Pilgrim, L., Costeloe, K. (1997). Urinary antimony in infancy. Arch. Dis. Child. 76: 432-436 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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